Strictly speaking, dysphasia is a mild form of aphasia, in which the ability to understand or express language is completely lost. In common usage, however, the two terms are used interchangeably to indicate an acquired condition in which the ability to understand or express language is impaired or lost. The term dysphasia is often confused with dysphagia, an unrelated condition in which swallowing becomes difficult or painful. Aphasia is caused by damage to the language centers of the brain. When associated with a brain injury, such as a stroke or head trauma, onset of symptoms is acute, emerging concurrently with the precipitating event. When associated with disease or degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's Disease or Alzheimer's Disease, onset can be slower and symptoms can progressively intensify. The specific manifestation and severity of aphasia can vary greatly between patients and depends on the location and extent of the brain damage. Treatment is tailored to the distinct needs and remaining language abilities of each individual patient.
Spontaneous Recovery
In some cases, aphasic symptoms can quickly and spontaneously resolve without any therapeutic intervention. This is called transient aphasia and can occur, for example, in patients who have experienced a transient ischemic attack, a condition that occurs when there is an interruption of blood flow to the brain that is not sufficient to cause permanent damage. According to the National Aphasia Association, more than half of patients who initially present with aphasic symptoms experience a complete recovery within the first few days. Even in cases of brain injury that result in permanent damage, however, there is usually some degree of spontaneous recovery of language ability in the initial period following the precipitating event.
Individual Speech Therapy
According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, clinical research has validated the long held assumption that speech therapy facilitates recovery of function in patients with aphasia. In fact, a review of the research revealed that patients who received eight to ten hours per week of therapy experienced exhibited significant improvements over those who did not receive such therapy. In individual sessions, the speech therapist helps improve communication abilities by engaging the patient in exercises and drills designed to help recover lost skills as well as help maximize the effective use of the language skills that they do have.
Group Therapy
Participating in group sessions provide aphasic patients the opportunity to practice skills learned in individual sessions in a supervised and emotionally safe environment, since they are interacting with others that face similar difficulties. In a group setting, a speech therapist may help participants work on conversational skills such as initiating and maintaining conversations, clarifying misunderstandings and appropriate turn-taking. Therapists may also lead group members in role playing exercises to allow them to practice common communication tasks such as answering the phone or ordering food in a restaurant.
Family Involvement
Family members and other caregivers should strive to help patients speak for themselves. Continued practice at home can help patients continue to progress in acquisition of language skills. To this end, caregivers can provide an environment that supports multiple modes of linguistic expression by integrating systems of gestures, written words, pictures or other non-traditional cues. The most important thing is to speak regularly with the patient. By working together, aphasics and their families can build effective systems of communication that can compensate for specific linguistic deficits and help patients build skills as well as confidence.
Surgery
Surgery is only considered an effective method of treating aphasia when the symptoms are being caused by a mass, such as a hematoma or brain tumor, placing pressure on the speech centers of the brain. In these cases, the removal of the mass can alleviate the symptoms.
References
- The National Aphasia Association: More Aphasia Facts...
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Aphasia
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Treatment Efficacy Summary
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Aphasia: Benefits of Speech-Language Pathology Services
